Judging of Tokyo Games mascot competition to be streamed online

The judging of the public design competition to choose the official mascot of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be broadcast online to ensure fairness and transparency, according to the games’ organizing committee.

It remains to be seen what phase of the selection process will be made public, the organizers said Monday. The competition, set to run from Aug. 1 to 14, could see thousands of entries.

The winner will be announced in March 2018, with elementary school children nationwide set to vote on the final design.

During the selection process for the official emblem for the games, three meetings were shown on YouTube and the streaming site Niconico, drawing as many as 35,000 views, organizers said.

Once the competition closes, 20 to 30 experts in fields such as toys, animation, comics and video games will narrow the list of entries to around 100, organizers said.

From there, three to four finalists will be chosen by a 17-member panel before the children cast their votes in December and January.

The competition is open to Japanese citizens and foreign residents. The winner will receive a ¥1 million prize and an invitation to the opening ceremonies.